juvenile delinquent

Man, this is a term I thought was out of date. I remember growing up in Brooklyn, NY, circa1970 when this term was used to describe kids who were either caught cutting school or busted for some minor offense such as vandalism, petty theft, or drinking. They were issued what was called a JD Card that had to be produced on demand if they were ever questioned by school or local authorities. This was the crowd your parents wanted you to avoid at all costs for fear of contaminating their perfect image of what a child should be. These were the people you might have thought were "cool" or were terrified of. If memory serves me correctly, they usually travelled in gangs. These were not the drive by, shoot em' up, bust a cap in yo' ass kinda gangs we hear about today. There were no "colors", no oaths of allegiance, no secret swearing in ceremonies. Just a bunch of kids that liked to hang around on the corner, raise a little hell, grow up and move on. Little did I know a whole science would be built around the subject.

In a strict legal sense, and by today's standards, juvenile delinqueny is the term used to describe behavior of children and adolescents that in adults would be considered criminal under law. Definitions and age limits vary, in some states 14 is the maximum age and in others, 21. Theft is the most common offense by children:, more serious property crimes and rape come later.

Take this for what its worth, it was distributed by the Houston Police Departmen. It's called....
(Notice for the most part, all the references are male)

12 STEPS TO RAISE A JUVENILE DELINQUENT

1) Begin with infancy to give the child everything he wants. In this way he will grow up to believe the world owes him a living.
2) When he picks up bad words, laugh at him. This will make him think he's cute.
3) Never give him any spiritual training. Wait until he is twenty-one and then let "him decide for himself".
4) Avoid the use of "wrong". He may develop a guilt complex. This will condition him to believe later, when he is arrested, that society is against him and he is being persecuted.
5) Pick up everything he leaves lying around. Do everything for him so that he will be experienced in throwing all responsibility on others.
6) Take his part against neighbors, teachers, and policemen. They are all prejudiced against your child.
7) Quarrel frequently in the presence of your children. In this way they won't be so shocked when the home is broken up.
8) Give the child all the spending money he wants. Never let him earn his own.
9) Satisfy his every craving for food, drink, and comfort. See that his every sensual desire is gratified.
10) Lead him read any printed material, and listen to any music he can get his hands on. Be careful that the silverware and drinking glass are sterilized, but let his mind feast on garbage.
11) When he gets into real trouble, apologize to yourself by saying "I could never do anything with him."
12) Prepare for a life of grief. You will likely have it.

Now, I was gonna editorialize each one of these gems with my own tongue in cheek comments . I've decided to let you, the reader, do that that for yourselves if you feel like it. As I said take it for what its worth

Ahh shit, I can't resist - Where were my parents when they were teaching Number 9!!!!